Building our family, one day at a time. An eclectic mix of posts regarding literature, food, faith, and fitness. Celebrating our adventures as a family.

Monday, July 30, 2012

Hanging On

Most of us have a tendency to hang on to one thing or another---I'm guilty of it. I've kept jeans long past the point where they should have been worn, several sizes too big with holes in inappropriate places, held together by threads. They were what I referred to as my "sweatpant jeans." The denim had grown so soft that instead of the denim they originally were, it felt like brushed cotton. Those jeans were my adult security blanket. Not surprisingly, I disposed of those jeans when I bought my home, ended a relationship, and essentially became an adult.

I'm bringing up the topic of "hanging on" because I spent the past hour or so going through our master bathroom cupboards. With a garbage bag. Tossing make up that was purchased several years ago, old contact cases (if I told you the number of cases W has collected over the years, you wouldn't believe me), half used travel toothpaste/mouthwash/fill-in-the-blank---you name it, we had it under those cupboards. I've been inspired by Pinterest. Not so much to make over my bathroom, but to get things cleaned up. We're hoping at some point in the near future to move into a larger home, and it's easier to get rid of things sooner rather than later, right? I'll keep telling myself that.

While none of those items I collected today had any sentimental value, I know that sometimes, the things we hang onto are our versions of security blankets. Maybe it's clothing that's too big for you, but disposing of it makes the fact that you're a slimmer version of yourself that much more of a reality. And that can be scary sometimes. It could even be something as trivial as a friend on Facebook, someone with whom you no longer have any desire to maintain a relationship with, or simply need to dispose of that false friendship to move on with your life. I've gotten rid of both, past and present, and initially it feels scary but what I've been teaching myself is that I'm constantly trying to grow into a better version of me.

What are you hanging on to? What would it take for you to let go, and be okay with letting go? I challenge you this week to clean house---literally or metaphorically---and get rid of something that's holding you back from becoming the best YOU that you are capable of becoming.